Sometimes we see influencers on, social media or we hear stories about people who have overcome terrible situations, and have come out successful on the other side. The stories are legion: Oprah Winfrey; Tyler Perry; Dr. Edith Eger; Digital Creator Michael Brown; Podcaster Mel Robbins; Author Brene Brown. You can probably name a few yourself.
We call them success stories, “rags to riches” stories, survivors. And while the stories are all different, there is one theme they all share: every person who made changes in their life had to learn how to do them. Every. Single. One.
No one is just born with innate knowledge about how to improve their life. Many so-called “survivors” were also the products of really messed up childhoods. Like, REALLY messed up. Violence, addiction, dysfunction, trauma after trauma after trauma. And many share this theme too: At some point: they had had ENOUGH. They realized that they could either remain in the misery or…. they could learn how to get up, get out, and MOVE FORWARD.
Sometimes it takes horrendous pain- emotional or physical or both- to propel humans to make changes. And, sadly, some never do. Mel Robbins says that sometimes people feel “stuck, lost and overwhelmed,” and that those feelings can be crippling to the point of emotional and mental paralysis.
Maybe you can relate?
As a certified professional life coach and counselor, I often work with clients who have just had enough of terrible situations. They have come to the end of their proverbial rope, and they want to make changes. But they have no clue where to even begin. This is where reaching out for help and support from trained professionals comes in. As I said above, literally everyone has to learn how to do life. How to make changes. How to grow. And yes, those things can be taught.
What cannot be taught is desire. Willingness. Drive. Those have to come from within, from a longing for life to improve, from a deep emotional ‘knowing’ that things should not be ‘this way,’ and that the only way out is to make some changes. It is that desire, that moment of clarity that can literally be the open door to first steps in making substantive life changes. Seize that moment.
But we just don’t know what we don’t know, meaning that it takes what it takes for each of us to get to that place in life where we are ready and willing to “see” things with fresh eyes. To be “open” to the possibilities of significant improvements in our quality of life.
Gone are the days of shaming mental and emotional wellness needs. Gone are the days of judgment and criticism when persons ask for help. And if you’ve been filled with some religious idea that asking for help from anyone other than a deity makes you flawed, RUN from that teaching as fast and far as you can. Like, right now.
If any of this resonates please reach out for support. If not from me from someone. You literally do not have to navigate life-stuff by yourself ever again, unless you choose to. You deserve to live a life in freedom and peace. You deserve to have joy in your heart and your life. How much longer will you wait?